Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for righteous: dikaios
Strong’s number: G1342
Greek Lexical Dictionary: Strong’s #1342 – δίκαιος
Greek Word: δίκαιος, ία, ιον
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: dikaios
Phonetic Spelling: dik’-ah-yos
Quick Definition: correct, righteous, by implication innocent
Usage: just; especially, just in the eyes of God; righteous; the elect (a Jewish idea).
Etymology: from 1349
NASB Translation: innocent (1), just (6), justice (1), right (7), righteous (48), righteous man (8), righteous man’s (1), righteous men (1), righteous one (4), righteous person (1), righteous persons (1).
New Testament usage
δικαιοσ is used 74 verses (23 times in Matthew).
Mat 1:19; Mat 5:45; Mat 9:13; Mat 10:41; Mat 13:17; Mat 13:43; Mat 13:49; Mat 20:4; Mat 23:28; Mat 23:29; Mat 23:35; Mat 25:37; Mat 25:46; Mat 27:19; Mar 2:17; Mar 6:20; Luk 1:6; Luk 1:17; Luk 2:25; Luk 5:32; Luk 12:57; Luk 14:14; Luk 15:7; Luk 18:9; Luk 20:20; Luk 23:47; Luk 23:50; Joh 5:30; Joh 7:24; Joh 17:25; Act 3:14; Act 4:19; Act 7:52; Act 10:22; Act 22:14; Act 24:15; Rom 1:17; Rom 2:13; Rom 3:10; Rom 3:26; Rom 5:7; Rom 5:19; Rom 7:12; Gal 3:11; Eph 6:1; Php 1:7; Php 4:8; Col 4:1; 2Th 1:5; 2Th 1:6; 1Ti 1:9; 2Ti 4:8; Tit 1:8; Heb 10:38; Heb 11:4; Heb 12:23; Jas 5:6; Jas 5:16; 1Pe 3:12; 1Pe 3:18; 1Pe 4:18; 2Pe 1:13; 2Pe 2:7; 2Pe 2:8; 1Jn 1:9; 1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 2:29; 1Jn 3:7; 1Jn 3:12; Rev 15:3; Rev 16:5; Rev 16:7; Rev 19:2; Rev 22:11.
δικαιοσ is used 308 times in 285 verses in the Septuagint (LXX)
Gen 6:9; Gen 7:1; Gen 18:23; Gen 18:24; Gen 18:25; Gen 18:26; Gen 18:28; Gen 20:4; Gen 27:36; Exo 9:27; Exo 18:21; Exo 23:7; Exo 23:8; Lev 19:36; Num 23:10; Dt 1:16; Dt 4:8; Dt 16:18; Dt 16:19; Dt 16:20; Dt 25:1; Dt 25:15; Dt 32:4; Jdg 5:11; 1Sa 2:2; 1Sa 2:9; 1Sa 24:18; 2Sa 4:11; 1Ki 2:32; 1Ki 8:32; 2Ki 10:9; 2Ch 6:23; 2Ch 12:6; Ezr 9:15; Neh 9:8; Neh 9:33; Job 1:1; Job 5:5; Job 6:29; Job 8:3; Job 9:2; Job 9:15; Job 9:20; Job 9:23; Job 10:15; Job 11:2; Job 12:4; Job 13:18; Job 15:14; Job 17:8; Job 22:19; Job 24:4; Job 24:11; Job 25:4; Job 27:5; Job 27:17; Job 28:4; Job 31:6; Job 32:1; Job 32:2; Job 33:12; Job 34:5; Job 34:10; Job 34:17; Job 35:2; Job 35:7; Job 36:3; Job 36:7; Job 36:10; Job 36:17; Job 37:23; Job 40:8; Psa 1:5; Psa 1:6; Psa 2:12; Psa 5:13; Psa 7:10; Psa 7:11; Psa 7:12; Psa 10:3; Psa 10:5; Psa 10:7; Psa 13:5; Psa 30:19; Psa 31:11; Psa 32:1; Psa 33:16; Psa 33:18; Psa 33:20; Psa 33:22; Psa 36:12; Psa 36:16; Psa 36:17; Psa 36:21; Psa 36:25; Psa 36:29; Psa 36:30; Psa 36:32; Psa 36:39; Psa 51:8; Psa 54:23; Psa 57:11; Psa 57:12; Psa 63:11; Psa 67:4; Psa 68:29; Psa 74:11; Psa 91:13; Psa 93:21; Psa 96:11; Psa 96:12; Psa 111:4; Psa 111:6; Psa 114:5; Psa 117:15; Psa 117:20; Psa 118:137; Psa 124:3; Psa 128:4; Psa 139:14; Psa 140:5; Psa 141:8; Psa 144:17; Psa 145:8; Pro 1:11; Pro 2:16; Pro 3:9; Pro 3:32; Pro 3:33; Pro 4:18; Pro 4:25; Pro 6:17; Pro 9:9; Pro 10:3; Pro 10:6; Pro 10:7; Pro 10:11; Pro 10:16; Pro 10:17; Pro 10:18; Pro 10:20; Pro 10:21; Pro 10:22; Pro 10:24; Pro 10:25; Pro 10:28; Pro 10:30; Pro 10:31; Pro 10:32; Pro 11:1; Pro 11:3; Pro 11:7; Pro 11:8; Pro 11:9; Pro 11:10; Pro 11:15; Pro 11:16; Pro 11:18; Pro 11:19; Pro 11:23; Pro 11:28; Pro 11:31; Pro 12:3; Pro 12:5; Pro 12:7; Pro 12:10; Pro 12:13; Pro 12:17; Pro 12:21; Pro 12:25; Pro 12:26; Pro 13:5; Pro 13:9; Pro 13:11; Pro 13:21; Pro 13:22; Pro 13:23; Pro 13:25; Pro 14:9; Pro 14:19; Pro 14:32; Pro 15:6; Pro 15:28; Pro 15:29; Pro 16:7; Pro 16:11; Pro 16:13; Pro 16:33; Pro 17:4; Pro 17:7; Pro 17:15; Pro 17:26; Pro 18:5; Pro 18:10; Pro 18:17; Pro 19:22; Pro 20:8; Pro 21:2; Pro 21:3; Pro 21:7; Pro 21:12; Pro 21:15; Pro 21:18; Pro 21:26; Pro 23:24; Pro 23:31; Pro 24:15; Pro 24:16; Pro 24:24; Pro 25:26; Pro 28:1; Pro 28:12; Pro 28:18; Pro 28:21; Pro 28:28; Pro 29:2; Pro 29:4; Pro 29:6; Pro 29:7; Pro 29:16; Pro 29:26; Pro 29:27; Pro 30:12; Pro 31:9; Ecc 3:16; Ecc 3:17; Ecc 7:15; Ecc 7:16; Ecc 7:20; Ecc 8:14; Ecc 9:1; Ecc 9:2; Isa 3:10; Isa 5:23; Isa 29:21; Isa 32:1; Isa 41:10; Isa 45:21; Isa 47:3; Isa 51:1; Isa 53:11; Isa 54:17; Isa 57:1; Isa 58:2; Isa 59:4; Isa 60:21; Isa 61:8; Isa 64:4; Jer 11:20; Jer 12:1; Jer 20:12; Jer 23:5; Jer 38:23; Jer 49:5; Lam 1:18; Lam 4:13; Eze 3:20; Eze 3:21; Eze 13:22; Eze 18:5; Eze 18:8; Eze 18:9; Eze 18:11; Eze 18:20; Eze 18:24; Eze 18:26; Eze 23:45; Eze 33:12; Eze 33:13; Eze 33:18; Eze 45:10; Dan 9:14; Dan 12:3; Hos 14:10; Joe 4:19; Amos 2:6; Amos 5:12; Jon 1:14; Hab 1:4; Hab 1:13; Hab 2:4; Zep 3:5; Zec 7:9; Zec 9:9; Mal 3:18.
Englishman’s Concordance: δίκαιος (dikaios)
Lexicons
Thayer’s G1342: righteous, observing divine laws; in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God;
Strong’s G1342: From G1349; equitable (in character or act); by implication innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively): – just, meet, right (-eous).
Mounce G1342: right, righteous, upright; in the NT this refers to God’s proper standards and actions, expressed in the covenants; as a noun it refers to a person in accord with God’s standards, in proper relationship with God
Related words: 1343 (dikaiosune); 1341 dikaiokrisia; 1344 dikaioó
Hebrew Equivalent Words: Strong #:57 (אָבֵל aw‑bale’); 571 (אֱמֶת eh’‑meth); 1779 (דּוּן deen, doon); 2617 ‑ חֶסֶד (kheh’‑sed); 2889 ‑ טָהֹר (haw‑hore’, taw‑hore’); 3474 ‑ יָשַׁר (yaw‑shar’); 3477 ‑ יָשָׁר (yaw‑shawr’); 4941 ‑ מִשְׁפָּט (mish‑pawt’); 5081 ‑ נָדִיב (naw‑deeb’); 5355 ‑ נָקִי (naw‑kee’, naw‑kee’); 5359 ‑ נָקָם (naw‑kawm’); 6662 ‑ צַדִּיק (tsad‑deek’); 6663 ‑ צָדַק (tsaw‑dak’); 6663 ‑ צָדַק (tsaw‑dak’); 6663 ‑ צָדַק (tsaw‑dak’); 8003 ‑ שָׁלֵם (shaw‑lame’); 8549 ‑ תָּמִים (taw‑meem’).
PreceptsAustin: dikaiosune; dikaios
Righteousness
- Something is dikaios if it is “in the right” and therefore acceptable.
- Something is not dikaios if it is in the wrong and therefore rejected.
- “Rightness” versus “wrongness” is the unifying idea behind all the various uses of this word.
In biblical terms, the question “am I righteous?” (or am I δικαιοσ?) can have at least 3 different meanings. The same Greek word is used for all 3 meanings.
Am I righteous? Or am I δικαιοσ?
Asking in context: | Synonym | In this sense, the “righteous” are: | Example | |
Am I forgiven or condemned? | justification | right with God because their sins are forgiven | Paul’s use in Romans | |
Am I open to God or hard-hearted? | saved or born again; antonym: wicked | those whose hearts are rightly oriented to God | Psalms: the wicked vs the righteous | |
Am I morally perfect or morally corrupt? | holiness | right with God by virtue of a perfect moral character. Only Jesus is righteous in this sense. | Beatitudes: Matthew 5:6 |
Reference Works
19 Matthew 5:6 Hunger for righteousness
06 Romans 5:1-11 The Hope of the Gospel
Psalm 1: The way of the Righteous and the Wicked
Psalm 73: The wicked contrasted with the righteous
06 1 John 2:29-3:12 Practicing Righteousness
13 Why do you call me good? Mark 10:17-31
45 1Corinthians 15:29-49 Sown in dishonor, raised in glory
12 Peter 3:1-7 The Point of it all
16 Jeremiah 50:1-20 Will the bad guys get what’s coming to them?
The Lord’s Prayer: we say it but what does it mean?
RC Sproul: Righteousness revealed
RC Sproul: A Righteousness from God
RC Sproul: The Righteousness of Christ
See also: Word Study: righteousness; dikaiosune
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